Caught in a storm
by SiLeNsE B4 ThE StOrM
Summary: Bella is caught in the middle of a storm while working with Mike. Jacob tries to save her, but gets caught himself. Edward is their last hope...will he make it? First Fanfic!Don't own the characters, just the situation they are in! R&R!
1. Chapter 1

A storm is brewing up in the small town of Forks. There are more overcast days in the year here than days with sunshine. But this was different. Although rain was an ordinary aspect of living in Forks, storms of this magnitude were rare if existent at all.

The weather was a hot topic in the news all morning. Alice had been seeing that it would be bad and so she decided to call Edward to warned him. Edward took her concern and told Bella about it. Bella, being selfless, was not so much worried about herself, but for Charlie because he was scheduled to work the entire day.

The morning started off well, with nothing out of the ordinary. Bella wakes up from uneasy sleep after having another one of her dreams. She dreamt that she was in the forest that branches out from the yard beside her house and was running desolately and with purpose other than to get away, to find meaning. The forest was dark and damp. There were no animals or creatures around at all. The soundless echo that was the forest would have brought comfort to her dream if it weren't for the fact that she was alone. Bella woke up from a night of tossing and turning, in addition to talking in her sleep.

Despite her recurring dream, Bella woke up happy. She knew that she had another day ahead of her; one she would undoubtedly spend with Edward. She took his hand and nestled into his cold chest. Her sleep gradually started to fade into awareness and then…hunger. Edward, hearing her stomach rumbling- not having to read her mind, takes her hand and leads her downstairs to get breakfast.

Oh, did I mention it was a Saturday morning…well it is. Time was hard to place, being that outside was dark and gloomy, sure indicators of the storm coming. It is hard to believe that it was only 7 in the morning.

Bella pours herself a bowl of cereal and milk while Edward sits in his usual spot, across from Charlie's chair, next to Bella. He sat perfectly still at the table with his marble-like body angled towards her, carefully analyzing her every move. The way he looks at her is like nothing else. He cares for her with such intensity and purity, that just thinking about the emotion behind his gaze, would make anyone gasp for air involuntarily. Their love is one of a kind; one many aspire to have but one not many get a chance to experience in their lifetime.

They had casual conversation while she finished breakfast. They didn't get too engrossed in their conversation because Bella needed to get ready for her visit to La Push. Edward has been really cool, or at least has put forth a believable pretense, when talking about Jacob. He no longer forbids Bella from seeing her friend, a werewolf-one who has made it clear that he wants to take Bella, the reason for his existence, away from him. Edward has realized that the act of keeping them apart would only forced Bella to put herself in dangerous situations trying to sneak out to see him. So, for the greater good, Bella's safety, he gave in.

Realizing the time, they both got up and started upstairs. Bella gathered her change of clothes while Edward stood at the foot of the bed glancing out the window to the approaching menace in the sky. Once dressed and ready, Edward and Bella headed downstairs and out the door to the car. Edward drove down the road as usual, with precision and profound speed. Bella had been frightened by his driving at first, but now she was used to it and candidly now relies on it. She grabbed the phone that Edward got for her, one of the precautions for her safety, and called Jacob just to make sure that he was awake and hadn't forgotten that she was coming over. Jacob answered groggily at first, but then progressed to excitedly, as expected, and was already on his way to meet them at the treaty line.

Everything was settled then. Bella was going to spend the morning with Jacob, he was going to drop her off at the Sporting Goods Store, where she works part time as a cashier, for her four hour shift at noon and then Edward was going to pick her up and take her to his house for the remainder of the evening. The plan was perfect and set in motion...


	2. Chapter 2

Bella intended to step out of the Volvo, but before doing so she turned and combed her hand in his hair pulling him towards her while she kissed him. He must have felt the same way because the kiss, which was meant to be short and sweet, turned to hot and passionate. Jacobs honking and Edward's tight control were the only things that could stop that kiss from going on any longer. Blushing and gasping for air- an annoying human need, Bella shut the door and started towards Jacob's car.

Jacob hugged her ignoring the fact that Edward was watching and the fact that he was really strong compared to Bella and any other human. He walked her to the passenger seat, keeping a grasp on her waist and closed her door before going to the driver's seat. They talked about what they had done since last week when they saw each other and planned on the morning's agenda on their way to La Push. It was really easy for Bella to be herself, a loose, carefree version of herself, around Jacob. He was her sun, someone who warms her up despite the weather in Forks…if you know what I mean.

They were enjoying each other's company so much that they were nearly running late. They were headed for the car when Bella's cell phone starts ringing. She picks it up checking the number; a force of habit, only to see that it was an unknown number. She answers it anyway. It was Ms. Newton, Mike's mother, saying that she was in a bind and that she would appreciate it if Bella could cover for her that night. She wanted her to work from 4pm to 10pm. Being the kind and selfless Bella we know, before knowing what Ms. Newton needed, she wanted to do anything she could to alleviate the burden on Ms. Newton's voice. After hearing that all she had to do was work later, she agreed immediately. Ms. Newton exhaled in relief and thanked her before hanging up. Bella then turns to Jacob, who was frozen playfully mid-step while the 30 sec. phone conversation had been going on. He smiled at her while she explained that she was staying with him longer because she was working later.

They went inside the homemade garage they love to hang-out in and sat while they drank warm sodas. Bella right away calls Edward to tell him that the day's plans had changed, although she knew that Alice probably had already seen and told him this. Edward was hesitant, although his even toned voice didn't show it, but agreed. The weather and Bella's safety were primarily on his mind. Bella and Jacob spent the rest of their time talking and working on one of Jacob's latest projects, another car.

Once it was time, Jacob drove Bella to work. On the way, it was quiet. They were both taking in the scenery. It looked as though a gray blanket was thrown on top of Forks and La push and had taken the sun away. Bella turned away feeling claustrophobic and a bit of déjà vu. The day seemed to post a resemblance to her recurring dreams.

Bella got to work on time. She thanked Jacob for their time together and for getting her there. She shut the car door, but before heading in to the store she waved goodbye and shot him a smile. She had to make it short seeing that it was pouring rain and cold.


	3. Chapter 3

The store was relatively empty, just a couple of very dedicated hikers and outdoorsy types in the tent section talking about their upcoming adventures. Bella clocked in and put her vest on.

Mike was closing the store with her. He had been a little distant with her ever since she and Edward had become inseparable, but now that he had Jessica, part of his charm was coming back in small dosages, not the golden retriever he used to be. Mike told Bella that his dad had asked his mother out to dinner at an expensive restaurant out in Port Angeles that night and that since they hadn't had a night to themselves in what she described as decades, she felt compelled to go. Bella understood and so he relaxed feeling no need for further apologetic explanations.

Once it got to be about 9pm, there was only one customer left. He was looking around the boot section, apparently indecisive. It was obvious due to the stressed puzzled expression on his face. He had been mentally weighing the pros and cons on three different pairs for a couple of minutes. Mike went to try and sway him into making a decision that best profited the store, while Bella went to the window to put up a flyer on donating unwanted outdoor sport goods.

That's when she saw it.

It was dark outside and the rain had picked up from a steady rainfall to a pulsating down pour in a matter of minutes. The only chance she got to see it was after the roaring thunder and flashing lightning. Her mouth dropped and so did her stomach as she froze. The lights flickered and a rumbling shake in the building followed. All Bella could hear was her heart beating and uneasy gasps of air with a soft muffled sound of Mike saying "Earthquake" from behind her. She couldn't move, not even her eyes could get away from the oncoming heap of a vortex headed their way, to tell Mike that he was wrong, that it wasn't an earthquake, but a tornado, a tornado that was unrealistically powerful and very very close.

Incredibly, she became even more surprised about seeing something else. After seeing the tornado up-close, one that had the potential to crush them any moment now, what could ever make her more scared? And that's when Jacob's car turned up in the Parking lot. He was there; he had come through the storm to take her to safety. He had promised Edward and himself that he would keep Bella safe, and that is exactly what he was there to make sure happened.

He ran across the lot with his unnatural werewolf speed, pulled the door open and held her while inside. She hugged him back, happy to see him out of the rain and out of the approaching danger. Mike, surprised to see who had just walked in, and still relatively in the dark about the Tornado, looked mad. Jacob turned to Mike and told him that they should brace themselves quick because they had no more time to waste. Lightning flashed and Mikes face turned pale white, and that's when we knew that he had seen it.

The remaining customer had heard their conversation and was panicking. He immediately dropped the three pairs of boots and ran out the door toward the beast. Before any of them realized what he was doing, it was too late to stop him, the beast had lifted him and then he was gone. Bella hid her face in Jacob's chest while he towed her away from the glass doors.

The whole building was shaking; the noise was deafening. It wasn't until pieces of the roof and shards of glass were tearing everywhere that they realized the extent of their danger. Sure Jacob was a werewolf, but the amount of material coming at them at such velocity was never an amount that his half-human self could bare. He was knocked out across the store.


	4. Chapter 4

The next thing she knew, a red car was on top of Jacob, beside her, and Mike was on the other side of the far wall unconscious. Bella was on the floor near Jacob in shock. She was looking from side to side trying to find another truth; one that did not include her best friend crushed by a car and her co-worker/friend under shattered lights and pieces of roof. Bella's state of shock was crippling, crippling because it made it so that she couldn't scream for help, not that she thought anyone could hear her, but it would have relieved her stress; nor could she feel the fact that she too was in danger.

She laid on the floor not just because Jacob had dropped her but because she had been in the middle of the aisle when both sides, full of merchandize, collapsed on her. She was slowly, but surely bleeding out. Her conscious mind was slowing, her breathing getting shallow, and her limbs getting colder. Her blood was flowing and being washed into a pool around her because of the rain. The roof was nonexistent and they were alone. Cold, wet, injured, and helpless.

Jacob woke up in agony. He managed to shove the car off of him, just missing Bella beside him. His injuries were serious enough that even with his fast wolf healing, he could not move. He was in so much pain that he wasn't paying attention to anything around him, not even to the approaching vampire.

Edward had driven through the storm to pick up Bella from work. Seeing the damage, he raced inside and instinctively looked for Bella, who lay motionless under the towering shelves. He threw them off of her unthinkably and started to examine her at once. He called out her name and graced her cheek softly, careful not to hurt her more than she already was.

When she didn't answer, he got anxious and took out his phone to call Carlisle. He answered on the first ring and there was a short pause while Edward frantically explained the situation. Carlisle assured him that he would meet him there in 2 minutes. Carlisle also told him to check her air way and to put pressure on her wounds. When they hung up, he followed his orders. Only after doing so did he notice Jacob's screams, and beside Jacob, a hurt Mike Newton. Mentally assessing their conditions, he decided to stay with Bella until Carlisle came, given that she was the most hurt next to Jacob, who's fast healing was helping him.

Carlisle arrived soon afterwards with Alice right behind him. He kneeled next to Bella to examine her while he had Edward go check on Mike. He asked Alice to hand him his bag and proceeded to give Bella morphine. He covered her wounds with gauze as best he could while applying pressure.

Edward reported to Carlisle that Mike was unconscious, but had only superficial lacerations from the fallen glass and debris. While Edward walked back to Bella, Carlisle gave Jacob some pain killers, a higher dosage due to his body temperature that burned the morphine up more rapidly than a human. Carlisle helped Jacob stand up and walk to his car, while Alice carried Mike Newton and Edward gingerly carried Bella.

The worst of the storm seemed to have passed and only a soft drizzle remained, but the destruction was evident all around. It was reflected in their eyes. They drove down the unrecognizable roads passing the fallen trees and the crumbled-over homes, to the still standing hospital.

Edward was out of the car first and Alice followed. Carlisle had taken Jacob to La Push, to his house, because if he were to take him to the hospital with the temperature he ran at as a werewolf, problems and questions would arise. At the Hospital, Bella was immediately placed on a gurney and rolled into the last empty emergency room available. It was a mad house. Everywhere you looked, there was evidence of the storm. The evidence was seen in mass amounts of casualties ranging from cuts and minor scrapes, to varieties of Bella's condition. Thinking of this, Edward had no choice but to stay with her there, ignoring the scorching burn down his throat.

The doctors-including Carlisle, who had come back from Jacob's house, worked on her for what seemed like hours until she was stable enough to be taken to the O.R. She had four broken ribs, a ruptured spleen, massive internal bleeding, broken arm, deep lacerations in the abdomen, legs, arms and head, and a head concussion, in addition to the bruising that covered most of her body. After hours in surgery, and several blood transfusions, she was transferred to the I.C.U. where Edward tended to her for the rest of the day.


	5. Chapter 5

Charlie had been working that night of terror and because of the unforeseen destruction; he was not able to be with her until that afternoon the day after-Sunday. Charlie was grateful to Carlisle and Edward once more for saving his daughters life.

Mike was on the third floor of the hospital in a shared room with another patient edgily waiting to get discharged. He got several stitches in various parts of his body, but his extended stay was due to a head concussion.

A whole week passed before Bella woke again. She was disoriented and extremely weak. Her fragile state made it so that she had to be sedated in order to allow her injuries to heal.

As soon as she found her voice, she called out for Edward. It was barely a whisper, but he heard her. Edward was there on her bedside holding her hand while he reassured her he was never leaving her. She exhaled in relief and winced. He playfully, but with a serious under tone, apologized to her saying that he hadn't realized he had to protect her from the elements in addition to masochistic vampires and ill-tempered werewolves. After laughing, Edward filled her in on what had happened and let her know that both Jacob and Mike were going to be fine. She was relieved only after hearing that Charlie was fine too.

After another week in the hospital, Bella was released to go home. She was in strict orders from Carlisle to take it easy. She was ecstatic to be able to go home and not have all those needles in her. Carlisle examined her one last time before signing the discharge papers. A nurse came in to check her vital signs, blood pressure, and temperature. She was fine. The nurse then took both IV's out and gave her a tetanus shot before she was free to go.

Edward helped Bella to the Wheelchair, a hospital requirement, and pushed her through the hall, down the Elevator and across the parking lot to his Volvo at human speed. He gently placed Bella in the front seat and put her seat belt on before returning the wheel chair to the helpful nurse, who looked at Edward the way every other woman did, with desire and genuine awe.

He drove exceptionally slow this time, being careful not to hurt Bella, and frankly, to have more time alone with her. Charlie was following them on the Police Cruiser, emphasizing his intentions.

Edward carried Bella in the house, past Charlie who held the door open, to her room to place her in bed. Charlie's gratefulness became apparent when he didn't protest to Edward's extended stay- in her room. He stayed with her until late that day talking and looking at her with all the love in the world. He had missed her. She spent a long time helpless, hurt and unconscious. He wanted to make up for lost time. The good thing is that they both were looking at a long time ahead of them to spend together and they both knew that. They both embraced and took comfort on that fact.

She had been in the eye of the storm and survived; it seems like a common theme in her life lately. But with Edward in the equation she wasn't just surviving anymore, she was _living._

_The End…_


End file.
